Process of preserving wood



Patented Aug. 30, 1921.

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to cement or set the first solution, expanded and cracked the tie open, due, possibl to UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

STUART 11B. MOORE, 0F HOUSTON, TEXAS,

PROCESS or' PBEsERvnve woon.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented A].lg, 30, 1921 Application'led July 6, 1920. Serial No. 394,164.

vuseful Improvements in a Process for Preserving Wood, of Awhich the following is a `specification.

'My invention relates to a process for preserving wood, and more particularly to means for treating railway ties to prevent the fungi of decay.l

Various solutions have been used to treat ties, but nearly all of these solutions used have been more'or less subject to leaching out,due to the action of the weather. Therefore, various other ,solutions have been used to re-treat the ties to penetrate the pores of the wood and set or cement the first solution in the wood to protectthe fungi-destroying solution and prevent the same from either washing out, due to the action of rain upon the tie, or from drying out, due to the action of the sun and wind.

This seemed to solve the problem theoretically, but in practice it worked out dif- Thes solutions which were used temperature or absorption of water.' hile they protected against the fungi,`of damp rot, the fun of dry rot developed in the yinteriorof t e tie, it being.` absolutely .shut

off from ventilation.

It had also been the practice heretofore in some ofthe processes, to drill holes into the tiethrough. which an additional supply of fungicide could be injected or' added to the piece of timber from time to time, to assist in preserving the same. This method,

y however, did notprove completely successful, due to, two things: first, if the tie is treated with a cementin solution, the pores are filled and cannot a Sorb the fungicide completely into the fibers of the tie; second,

if the tie is not treated with a cementingV solution, the poresare left open to the atmosphere and the liquid fungicide is either rapidly washed out, or dried out by the action of the wind' and sun. As most fungicides are of a corrosive nature, they have 'a disastrous effect upon the lrails of the track if they are .washed out and 'consequently come in contact therewith.- Also, if the outer fibers are left absorbent and the temperature is such that it freezes, after a rain,

for instance, the tie is burst open, due to ice expansion. f

yIn order to properly treat a tie, it must first be seasoned,-that is, it must be thoroughly dried out so that the pores are all open and allof the sap and moisture evaporated. The fungicide can then penetrate to the .heart of the tie. After treating, if the tie 1s to'be re-treated it must again be seasoned. Each seasoning process requires not less than four months, and consequently this.

requires agreat plant with a large Storage space. It 1s obvious, therefore, that the initia l investment to carry on such an enterprise would prohibit any but very large cor orations engaging in this business.

aving brieiy summed up the present state of the art, I will now describe my.

process, the practice of which overcomes the numerous obJectlons mentioned heretofore. Many advantages will appear hereinafter,

and in order to more clearly illustrate and describe my invention, I will refer to the drawings, in which- Figure .1 is a longitudinal section of a railway tie treated in accordance with my improved method; g f

Fig. 2 .is atransverse section thereof; and

Fig. 3 1s an enlarged section of one end of the tie.

In carrying out my processl I propose, on receiving a tie at the treating plant, to immediately drill therethrough a center hole A. This hole, as illustrated in the drawings, extends centrally of the tie from one end thereof and stops at a point yadjacent the other end thereof. Additional vertical openings, indicated by the letter B, are provided and communicate with the central opening'A. These openings inthe tie produce an added ventilation and materially decrease the timerequired ferseasoning the tie. I then propose to treat the tie with a fungicide from the outside as well as from the inside. In this manner I am enabled to more completely penetrate the fibers of the 4 wood.

crude oil having an asphalt base. This forms an outer coating or shell upon the tie, -as illustrated byC, the oil or other cementing solution penetrating the wood a 'sli ht distance throughout the surface thereof. y

so coating the tie and thereby forming thereon an exterior shell, the tie is theoretically transformed from a solid to a vessel, the

. cubical contents ofthe vessel being the caclosed at one end thereof by a plugF, set

in concrete or other cementing material. A

In Fig. 1 I have illustrated the reservoir as containing crystals G of fungicide, so that whenwater is supplied to this reservoir,

, either intentionally or by absbrption, this water or moisture will dissolve the crystals of fungicide and become deadly to the fungi of decay. ,In practice a small amount of water will becontained in' the reservoir with' the crystals. Y

In Fig. 3 I have illustrated the reservoir as containing a liquid fungicide. It is obvious that this reservoir may contain a constant supply of liquid fungicide, so that the fibers of the tie may at all'times be saturated with this solution.

Atie treated and constructed as described liereinbefore has the followin advantages: There would at all times be a Ireedom of expansion, due tothe fact that the interior reservoirwould not be full. In either case, whether the reservoir contained a small amount of liquidand the crystals G, or a larger amount of liquid fungicidethis reservoir would allow for expansion. VDry rot could not develop in the interior of the tie because of the continual presence of a liquid. The liquid couldnot wash out ordry out due to the impervious shell, and the -tie could always be furnished with a fresh supply of fungicide, either inl crystals or liquid. v p

It is obvious from the foregoing that a tie treated-in accordance with my method will'be provided with an exterior impervious to atmospheric conditions, and will contain a reservoir in which a solution- Willjbe held which willl constantly tend to re-treat the fibers 0f the tie to prevent the fungi of de cay. The impervious shell, together with the method of sealing the holes, eliminate all possibility of the fungicide evaporatingor being washed out.

While I have described my invention as one for treating ties, it should be understood that it may be used equally as well for treating fence posts, piles, and the like. Various details 0f my improved method may be changed without departing from the spirit and scope of-the invention, and I particularly reserve this right.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is: r

l. The process of treating wood, which consists of forming a central reservoir therein, penetrating the fibers of the wood with a fungicide, sealingthe entrance to said reservoir, and then impregnatingthe wood with a cementing mixture.

2. The process of treating Wood,fwhich consists of forming therein a central reservoir, treatin said wood with a fungicide from the inside and from the outside, sealing the entrances to 'said reservoir, andthereafter npregnating the surface of theI wood with 3. The process of treating al railway tie, which consists of forming a reservoir centrally thereof, treating the wood fibers of said tie with fungicide from the inside and from the outside of said tie, sealing the openings to said reservoir, and impregnating the surface of said tie witli'a-cementing solution of crude oil to form a shell-like coating thereon, and thereafter retaining a constant supply of fungicide in said reservoir. 4. A railway tie lhaving formed therein a central reservoir, said reservoir being open at one end, vertically V.disposed openings communicating with said reservoir, said reservoir being adapted to contain fungicide for treating the wood fibers of said tie, means for sealing said vertically disposed openings, comprising a plate and a sealing substance, and a plug 'for closing the end of said reservoir.

STUART B. MOO-RE.

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